For years now our team has had the privilege of ministering with the War of Special Forces at Tabernacle Baptist Church and Heritage Prep HS. Pastor Steve Ware has been a blessing with which to minister and this time was no exception. Years ago Pastor Ware’s daughter was in the school and thus in the War of Special Forces. Now she is the youth pastor’s wife! It is great to see young people grow up and serve the Lord.
Jonathan, the Navy Seals team captain, stopped by a house with a man cutting a boy’s hair outside. He turned out to be the uncle of several teens in the house living with their grandmother. The uncle gave the grandmother’s number so Jonathan could call and see if the teens could come. When he called there was no answer. At lunch time the grandmother called back, asked questions, and said two would come that night. When the church van came to get them, it drove past their house and missed picking them up. The teens called Jonathan concerned that the van drove by them. “How we going to get there?” they asked. Somebody from the church went to get them and six showed up instead of two. All six got saved that night!
One of our team captains could not get away from John 3 when praying and preparing for his team meeting on Thursday. He felt like the Gospel had been presented and he himself had never preached a Gospel message. So he tried to come up with something else. He spent all his preparation time working on other passages, but he could not get away from John 3. He eventually asked me if he could preach a Gospel message. I said, “Yes, if the Lord is leading you to do so.” He did not have anything prepared from John 3, but because he could not get away from the burden, he preached on John 3 and God began to give him things to say. When the invitation was given, several raised their hand that they needed to be saved and four responded to the invitation. Needless to say this team captain was encouraged. One of those that responded was an exchange student. She told her personal worker that she had been approaching Bible class like a subject. With tears she trusted Christ. Immediately she became burdened for another exchange student.
John, the Recon team captain, was burdened to talk to the other exchange student about being saved. On Friday night John asked her, “I realize you have been going here for a while. You may not believe everything they believe, but what do you think about heaven and hell, God and the Bible? She responded, “I don’t know.” John then asked, “Do you believe there is a God?” “Yes” “Do you believe the Bible?” he followed. “Yes,” she answered again. John told her God loved her and shared the Gospel with her. When she was asked if she would like to get saved, she seriously said “yes.” She wanted to talk to Leanna, the Recon co-captain, since she had already talked with her, but Leanna had just sat down to counsel someone else. She did not want to talk to anyone else. While this was happening, someone accidently took her home not knowing she was waiting to talk to Leanna. One of our team went to youth pastor’s wife and asked if someone could bring her back. The request was graciously granted and she was brought back and Leanna led her to the Lord!
One young lady in the youth group brought different friends every night to get them under the Gospel preaching. Since her family lived an hour away and had limited room in their car, they had to rotate those they brought. She had been praying and fasting for her friend’s salvation. On the last night she brought a friend who was not saved. At the invitation her friend raised her hand. The team captain came up to her when he saw her hesitation at the invitation and said, “If you want to get saved, now is get time.” She responded, “I’ll do it Sunday.” The young lady who brought her looked up weeping and the team captain saw her great burden for her friend. The team captain left. Later, I saw Hannah weeping and rejoicing with her friend. I still do not know exactly what happened but her friend not only got saved, but she was rejoicing in her salvation!
There were several in the school in whom God worked in their hearts. There were some tears as teens dealt with bitterness, sin and surrender in their lives. It was a blessed week with some sweet memories of God working in many hearts!
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